Paint Protection Method and Cover

ABSTRACT

A paint protection method and cover is disclosed. In a particular embodiment, the method includes providing a cover having a substrate layer, an overlying absorbent layer, and an integrated adhesive strip disposed on an outer perimeter surface of the substrate layer and proximate to at least one edge of the cover. The method further includes forming at least one paint impermeable seam between the cover and a surface by adhering the adhesive strip to the surface.

I. CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/974,857 filed Sep. 25, 2007. The disclosure of the provisionalapplication is incorporated herein by reference.

II. FIELD

The present disclosure is generally related to a paint protection methodand cover.

III. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

There is a need for an improved method and cover to protect surfacesfrom accidentally receiving paint being applied to an adjacent desiredsurface. The current methods use bulky drop cloths and covers that andnot adaptable to a number of different configurations. An edge of thedrop cloth is bunched along a baseboard and spread out across a floorsurface. As paint is applied to a wall surface, excess paint drips downthe wall and behind the edge of the drop cloth. Alternatively, a largesheet of material is cut to the desired size and subsequently attachedto a baseboard, for example, using tape dispensed from a roll. The tapeis susceptible to not adhering properly to both the sheet and theunderlying surface. Moreover, it is difficult to apply the tape on avertical surface to protect window openings or other features that maybe vertically orientated while maintaining the sheet in the properorientation.

Another shortcoming of the prior art is that the prior art cover eitherabsorbs the paint allowing it to soak through to damage the underlyingsurface or the cover is not absorbent and causes the paint to run offthe sheet.

Another need in the art is for a paint protection method and cover thatis easy to adhere to a surface but is also easy to remove and can bereused.

There is also a need in the art for a paint protection method and coverthat is lightweight and durable.

Notwithstanding the existence of prior art paint protection covers,there is a need for an improved paint protection method and cover.

It is, therefore, to the effective resolution of the aforementionedproblems and shortcomings of the prior art that the present invention isdirected.

However, in view of the prior art at the time the present invention wasmade, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill in the pertinent arthow the identified needs could be fulfilled.

IV. SUMMARY

In a particular embodiment, a paint protection cover is disclosed. Thecover comprising a substrate and an overlying absorbent layer. Theabsorbent layer further includes an integrated adhesive strip disposedproximate to the perimeter of the cover so that the cover is adapted tobe removably adhered to a receiving surface to form an liquidimpermeable seam between the cover and the receiving surface to beprotected from paint drips. The substrate and absorbent layer aresubstantially similar in size whereby the absorbent layer absorbs paintand the substrate prevents paint from passing completely through thecover. The cover is pre-sized for the particular application, such as astandard window size or baseboard height, so that the cover can bequickly and easily removably adhered over the window or baseboard to beprotected from paint.

In another particular embodiment, the cover may be removably secured toprotect the underside of a soffit when painting an exterior wall. Thecover having adhesive along the perimeter of three edges. To completelycover the soffit, a plurality of covers may be secured together with theadhesive edge of a cover to the non-adhesive edge of an adjacent coverto protect the soffit from overspray from painting exterior walls. Dueto the orientation of the soffit as a lower surface of a roof overhang,having an integrated adhesive strip improves the efficiency and abilityto quickly protect the soffit with the cover.

In another particular embodiment, the cover comprises a pair ofperforations disposed equidistant from the edges of the cover.Accordingly, a removable first lateral strip is formed between a firstedge of the cover and a first perforation. Removing the first lateralstrip reduces the width of the cover. Moreover, a second lateral stripis formed between a second edge of the cover and a second perforationreducing the width of the cover even further. The perforations of thecover can be disposed and arranged in a plurality of differentconfigurations.

In another particular embodiment, a paint protection method isdisclosed. The method includes providing a cover having a substratelayer, an overlying absorbent layer, and an integrated strip disposed onan outer perimeter surface of the absorbent layer and proximate to atleast one edge of the cover. The method further includes forming atleast one liquid impermeable seam between the cover and a receivingsurface by adhering the integrated adhesive strip to the receivingsurface. In addition, a perforation may be disposed on the cover thatpasses through the substrate layer and overlying absorbent layer,wherein the at least one perforation adapted to separate the cover intoat least a first portion and a second portion. The method may includeproviding a pair of perforations disposed equidistantly from arespective edge on the cover, wherein the pair of perforations passesthrough the substrate layer and overlying absorbent layer. A removablefirst lateral strip may be formed between a first edge of the cover anda first perforation of the pair of perforations, wherein removing thefirst lateral strip along the first perforation reduces a width of thecover. The method may further include providing a removable secondlateral strip formed between a second edge of the cover and a secondperforation of the pair of perforations, wherein removing the secondlateral strip along the second perforation reduces the width of thecover.

One particular advantage provided by embodiments of the paint protectionmethod and cover is that the adhesive along the perimeter of the coverincreases the efficiency so that the cover may be positioned on either ahorizontal or vertical surface. Another advantage provided by disclosedembodiments is that the cover is easily adaptable for use with differentsizes

Other aspects, advantages, and features of the present disclosure willbecome apparent after review of the entire application, including thefollowing sections: Brief Description of the Drawings, DetailedDescription, and the Claims.

V. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention,reference should be made to the following detailed description, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of a particular illustrative embodimentof a cover to protect surfaces from paint;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a particular illustrative embodiment ofthe cover shown installed over a rectangular window;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a particular illustrative embodiment ofthe cover shown installed over a baseboard;

FIG. 4 is a side view of a particular illustrative embodiment of thecover shown along line 4-4 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a particular illustrative embodiment of thecover shown configured to install over a baseboard or on a wall;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a particular illustrative embodiment of thecover shown configured to install over an arched window;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a particular illustrative embodiment ofthe cover shown installed on the soffit of a home;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a particular illustrative embodiment of thecover shown configured to install over a soffit;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a particular illustrative embodiment of thecover showing the perforations;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a particular illustrative embodiment of thecover shown in FIG. 9 with lateral strips partially removed along theperforations; and

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of a particular illustrative embodiment of apaint protection method.

VI. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a particular illustrative embodiment of a paintprotection cover is disclosed and generally designated 100. Theprotective cover 100 includes a substrate 130, which is impermeable toliquid, and an overlying absorbent layer 120. An integrated adhesivestrip 140 is disposed on an outer perimeter of the absorbent layer 120.The integrated adhesive strip 140 allows the cover 100 to be removablysecured to a desired location to cover a receiving surface to beprotected from paint. The substrate 130 may be an impermeable andflexible biodegradable coating applied to the absorbent layer 120. Thesubstrate 130 may also be an impermeable sheet forming a laminate withthe absorbent layer 120.

FIG. 2 shows the cover 100 installed over a window 150, which is thereceiving surface for the cover 100. The walls 160 are the paintsurfaces where paint will be applied. Accordingly, by covering thewindow 150 with the cover 100, the walls 160 can be easily and quicklypainted with a sprayer without concern for overspray. Referring now toFIG. 3, a cover 200 is configured to be secured over a baseboard 250,which is the receiving surface for the cover 100. The cover 200 has anupper portion that is secured vertically over the baseboard 250 and alower portion that covers the flooring material 240. As can be seen inFIG. 4, the baseboard 250 is located at the intersection of the wall 160and the flooring material 240. The areas to be painted extend above thebaseboard 250. The cover 200 has a first portion 210 with an integratedadhesive strip along the perimeter that is removably secured to thebaseboard 250. A second portion 220 of the cover may cover the flooringmaterial 240 and will absorb any dropped or splattered paint or otherliquid. The cover 200 may also be used to protect door trim, lightfixtures, coach lights, chandeliers, or any combination thereof. FIG. 5is a plan view of the cover 200 showing a first portion 210 along oneedge of the cover 200. The first portion 210 further comprises anintegrated adhesive strip for removably securing the cover 200 to thebaseboard 250. In addition, the cover 200 is adaptable to be installedover a wall beginning at the intersection of the ceiling and wall.Accordingly, the wall, which is the receiving surface for thisapplication, is protected from overspray from painting the ceiling or anadjacent wall. Several of the covers 200 may be attached together usingthe adhesive portion 210 to form a larger area that may be protected.

Referring now to FIG. 6 shows a plan view of an alternative embodimentof the present invention for a differently configured arched window 620.The cover 600 includes an integrated adhesive strip 610 along aperimeter of cover 600 for removably securing the cover 600 over thearched window. The arched window 620 is the receiving surface for thecover 600.

As shown in FIG. 7, a home 700 typically includes a soffit at the edgeof the roof. The cover 720 may be used to cover the underside of thesoffit 710 to protect it from overspray from painting exterior walls750. FIG. 8 is a plan view of the soffit cover 820 that includes anintegrated adhesive strip 840 along two opposing edges and along oneinterposed edge. Accordingly, several covers 710 may be joined togetherto form the desired length, wherein an edge with the integrated adhesivestrip 840 may be adhered to an adjacent cover along an edge absent theintegrated adhesive strip of the adjacent cover.

Referring now to FIG. 9 shows an alternative embodiment of the presentinvention that is adjustable to fit multiple sized windows. For example,the cover 900 at its original size can fit a standard sized window.Perforations 925, 935 are disposed equidistant from the edges of thecover 900. Between a first edge of the cover 900 and the perforation 925forms a first lateral strip 920 and between a second edge of the cover900 and the perforation 935 forms a second lateral strip 940. Middlestrip 930 is sized to fit over a smaller window when the first strip 920and the second strip 940 are removed. As shown in FIG. 10, therefore, byremoving either the first strip 920, the second strip 940, or anycombination thereof, the cover 900 is reduced in size to a smaller cover950. The locations of the perforations of the cover 900 are user defineddepending on the particular application.

Referring to FIG. 11, a particular illustrative embodiment of a paintprotection method is disclosed and generally designated 1000. The methodincludes providing a cover having a substrate layer, an overlyingabsorbent layer, and an integrated strip disposed on an outer perimetersurface of the absorbent layer and proximate to at least one edge of thecover, at 1002. At least one liquid impermeable seam is formed, at 1004,between the cover and a receiving surface by adhering the integratedadhesive strip to the receiving surface. In addition, at 1006 aperforation may be disposed on the cover that passes through thesubstrate layer and overlying absorbent layer, wherein the at least oneperforation adapted to separate the cover into at least a first portionand a second portion. If the cover is not appropriately sized for thereceiving surface after removing a first lateral strip to reduce thewidth of the cover, then at 1008, a pair of perforations may be providedequidistantly from a respective edge on the cover, wherein the pair ofperforations passes through the substrate layer and overlying absorbentlayer, at 1010. The method may further include, at 1012, removing asecond lateral strip formed between a second edge of the cover and asecond perforation of the pair of perforations, wherein removing thesecond lateral strip along the second perforation reduces the width ofthe cover even further. After the cover is configured appropriately forthe receiving surface either in its original configuration, afterremoving the first lateral strip, second lateral strip, or anycombination thereof, then paint may be applied to a designated paintsurface when the cover is protecting the receiving surface. Afterapplication of the paint, the cover may be removed from the receivingsurface and reused, at 1014.

The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided toenable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosedembodiments. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readilyapparent to those skilled in the art, and the principles defined hereinmay be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope ofthe disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to belimited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widestscope possible consistent with the principles and novel features asdefined by the following claims. The commercial name of the invention issuggested to be “House Drops.”

1. A paint protection cover, the cover comprising: a substrate layer; anoverlying absorbent layer; and an integrated adhesive strip disposed onan outer perimeter surface of the absorbent layer and proximate to atleast one edge of the cover, wherein the adhesive strip adapted toadhere to a receiving surface to form at least one paint impermeableseam between the cover and the receiving surface.
 2. The paintprotection cover of claim 1, wherein a shape of the cover is configuredto adhere over a perimeter of a window when the receiving surface is thewindow.
 3. The paint protection cover of claim 1, wherein a shape of thecover is configured to adhere over a baseboard when the receivingsurface is the baseboard.
 4. The paint protection cover of claim 1,wherein the integrated strip disposed on the outer perimeter surface ofthe absorbent layer is proximate to three edges of the cover; whereinone edge of the cover absent the integrated strip and adapted to contactan adhesive strip of an adjacent cover to form a contiguous and largercover.
 5. The paint protection cover of claim 1, the cover furthercomprising: at least one perforation disposed on the cover that passesthrough the substrate layer and overlying absorbent layer; wherein theat least one perforation adapted to separate the cover into at least afirst portion and a second portion.
 6. The paint protection cover ofclaim 1, the cover further comprising: a pair of perforations disposedequidistantly from a respective edge on the cover; wherein the pair ofperforations pass through the substrate layer and overlying absorbentlayer.
 7. The paint protection cover of claim 6, the cover furthercomprising: a removable first lateral strip formed between a first edgeof the cover and a first perforation of the pair of perforations;wherein removing the first lateral strip along the first perforationreduces a width of the cover.
 8. The paint protection cover of claim 7,further comprising: a removable second lateral strip formed between asecond edge of the cover and a second perforation of the pair ofperforations; wherein removing the second lateral strip along the secondperforation reduces the width of the cover.
 9. The paint protectioncover of claim 8, the cover further comprising: a first integratedinterior adhesive strip disposed on an outer perimeter surface of theabsorbent layer and proximate to the first perforation; wherein thefirst integrated interior adhesive strip adapted to adhere to thereceiving surface to form the paint impermeable seam between the coverand the receiving surface when the first lateral strip is removed. 10.The paint protection cover of claim 8, the cover further comprising: asecond integrated interior adhesive strip disposed on an outer perimetersurface of the absorbent layer and proximate to the second perforation;wherein the second integrated interior adhesive strip adapted to adhereto the receiving surface to form the paint impermeable seam between thecover and the receiving surface when the second lateral strip isremoved.
 11. A paint protection method, the method comprising: providinga cover having a substrate layer, an overlying absorbent layer, and anintegrated adhesive strip disposed on an outer perimeter surface of theabsorbent layer and proximate to at least one edge of the cover; andforming at least one paint impermeable seam between the cover and areceiving surface by adhering the adhesive strip to the receivingsurface.
 12. The paint protection method of claim 11, wherein the coveris configured to adhere over a window when the receiving surface is thewindow.
 13. The paint protection method of claim 11, wherein a shape ofthe cover is configured to adhere over a baseboard when the receivingsurface is the baseboard.
 14. The paint protection method of claim 11,wherein the integrated strip disposed on the outer perimeter surface ofthe absorbent layer is proximate to three edges of the cover; whereinone edge of the cover absent the integrated strip and adapted to contactan adhesive strip of an adjacent cover to form a contiguous and largercover.
 15. The paint protection method of claim 11, the method furthercomprising: providing a perforation disposed on the cover that passesthrough the substrate layer and overlying absorbent layer; wherein theat least one perforation adapted to separate the cover into at least afirst portion and a second portion.
 16. The paint protection method ofclaim 11, the method further comprising: providing a pair ofperforations disposed equidistantly from a respective edge on the cover;wherein the pair of perforations pass through the substrate layer andoverlying absorbent layer.
 17. The paint protection method of claim 16,the method further comprising: providing a removable first lateral stripformed between a first edge of the cover and a first perforation of thepair of perforations; wherein removing the first lateral strip along thefirst perforation reduces a width of the cover.
 18. The paint protectionmethod of claim 17, the method further comprising: providing a removablesecond lateral strip formed between a second edge of the cover and asecond perforation of the pair of perforations; wherein removing thesecond lateral strip along the second perforation reduces the width ofthe cover.
 19. The paint protection method of claim 17, the methodfurther comprising: providing a first integrated interior adhesive stripdisposed on an outer perimeter surface of the absorbent layer andproximate to the first perforation; wherein the first integratedinterior adhesive strip adapted to adhere to the receiving surface toform the paint impermeable seam between the cover and the receivingsurface when the first lateral strip is removed.
 20. The paintprotection method of claim 19, the method further comprising: providinga second integrated interior adhesive strip disposed on an outerperimeter surface of the absorbent layer and proximate to the secondperforation; wherein the second integrated interior adhesive stripadapted to adhere to the receiving surface to form the paint impermeableseam between the cover and the receiving surface when the second lateralstrip is removed.